Demons Within
by Starkreactor
Summary: After the encounter with Hydra, the X-men haven't been the same. Something has compromised security on the grounds, and one of their own may be to blame. Lucky Tony's on call 24/7, but can he stand against what's to come? Sequel to Hydra Likes Pepperoni.
1. Wounded

Hello! For all of you who have read Hydra Likes Pepperoni and are willing to give lil ol me another shot, thanks so much!! I got this inspiration after reading a review on my other story, and decided to run with it. I hope you all enjoy, and don't forget, reviews make my day!!!! (and yours when I post more chapters!)

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It was a dark and stormy night.

Very cliché, Xavier had to admit, but he had always loved those sort of lines in the novels he read in his extremely sparse free time. He was sitting at his bedroom window, mind carefully alert and attuned to the team outside, busy patrolling the grounds during this difficult time. He hated to have them out there during a thunderstorm better enjoyed inside, but there was nothing to do about it. The X mansion's security systems simply weren't enough anymore. Ever since the attack by Hydra- well. Things had been dangerous.

Charles sighed, rubbing his forehead and giving his powers a brief break. He had been concentrating so hard he was actually starting to get a headache. Not that the work was hard- he was just worried. And tired. He had hardly slept for fear that something would happen when he wasn't on watch.

But his powers would be dampened if he didn't get some rest. He sighed wearily and steered his chair away from the window and toward his bed, a quick mental image from a student's nightmare leaking into his psychic barrier, proving his point. Taking a moment to calm the child's mind, he finally got himself in bed and turned down the oil lamp he had placed on the nightstand.

He had just shut his eyes when a slicing pain lanced through his head and he sat bolt upright, hands over his forehead in agony. Stumbling to maneuver himself back into his wheelchair, head still throbbing, he sent a telepathic link to Cyclops.

"**Scott! What happened?"**

"**It's Gambit professor, he's been wounded. I left Beast and Jubilee with the attacker, I've got to get him to the med-lab stat."**

Scott's telepathic voice was trying to sound cool and professional, but fear oozed with the words.

"**I'll alert Jean if she doesn't already know, I'll see you down there."**

"**Remy?" **he tried, gently probing the wounded mutant's mind as he simultaneously sent a warning to Jean.

To his relief, he got a weak response. **"Professor…….?"**

"**Yes!" **Charles encouraged, reaching out with more desperation this time. **"Remy, it's me. I want you to tell me what year it is."**

He received a slightly confused reply. **"…2009?"**

"**That's right Remy, now what's my name?" **He could sense Gambit slipping into shock, but at least he was fighting.

"**Ch- Charles……Xavi-" **

He could feel Remy slip as he tried to grasp his thoughts. **"That's right Remy, come my child, hold on." **

Finally the med lab doors opened and Xavier sped through them, finding a drenched Scott helping a struggling Gambit to lay on a bed. Jean was near by, steadying the mutant while telepathically gathering bandages and a few other things Charles hoped they wouldn't need.

There was a trail of bloody water on the floor.

And Gambit's uniform was slashed open across the stomach.

Three perfect slices through the thick leather.

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*gasp* Wanna know what happened? That button is your best friend! ;D


	2. Suspicions

Chapter two! Reviews help tons, thanks for the first one! I know this is short, but they'll get longer, and I'll probably have another up in no time. Cheers, and happy reading!

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"Wolvy? Wolvy! Where are you you big pile of attitude?" Jubilee strained her eyes through the pounding rain, letting off fireworks carefully as she went. Logan would probably kill her for dis-regarding his orders and using her pyrotechnics with out knowing where or who the enemy was, but Logan hadn't been answering his headset and she was worried.

Forget him and his orders.

Brushing aside some branches, she found a dark form just starting to push itself to its feet. Holding back, she watched it as it stood, shaking a thick mop of hair as it tried to clear its head.

"Wolvy! Are you all right?" Jubilee shouted, running up to him and grabbing his arms as he turned around. Logan blinked, suddenly coming back to himself.

"Jubilee! Kid, get back to yer post and quiet down, get me? Why do I bother with those training sessions if they just go in one ear and out the other?"

His chastisement normally would make her feel slightly ashamed, this time, it just ticked her off.

"No. No I don't 'get you'. You were out cold Mr. I have a healing factor, and that means something's going on. So if you have a problem with me leaving my post to come check on your hairy butt then you can just stick it where the sun don't shine."

Logan was not taken aback. Jubilee's headstrong attitude was commonplace, but that didn't mean he had to put up with it. "Lee, get back to yer post. You're gonna put the entire mansion in jeopardy."

The harshness in his tone startled her. Something was definitely wrong.

"Ah! Careful cherre, that's a mighty tender area!"

"I'm sorry." Jean apologized, maneuvering her hands even more carefully around Gambit's torso. She wished she could use her telekinesis for the wrapping, but she didn't trust her power enough yet to do it sufficiently.

After Gambit had come in almost twenty minutes ago, Jean had taken stock of his vitals and ensured they were steady before getting his costume off and assessing his wounds. Thankfully they ended up being fairly shallow, but it had cut significant muscle and would take a long while to heal. She'd had to give him several stitches. The thing that really concerned her however was the spacing of the slice marks. They were each about an inch apart, and there were only three. Everyone was thinking the same thing, but didn't dare voice it.

After Remy was settled and the pain killer had started to kick in, Xavier rolled up, preparing himself for the worst.

"Remy, we obviously need to know how this happened, would you prefer to tell us or let me read your memories?"

Gambit thought for a moment, concentrating. "Well, I don't know how accurate either will be, it was pretty dark and all there was was this black shape come hurtlin' out of no-where. I hit it with a card, but next thing I know I'm loosin' my innards."

"I see." Xavier said, troubled. "Was there any indicator of what or who your attacker was, because the way your wounds are placed-" He cut off, not wanting to blame Logan unless absolutely necessary. It sickened him to think that the attacker was so fast, Wolverine was incredibly fast for his build.

'And so were Hydra's assassins.' he reminded himself quickly.

"Don' be blamin' Logan now. I know what you're thinking and it needs ta' stop professor. Last thing we need to be doin' right now is blaming our own. The second we can't trust each other we might as well go on and turn ourselves over. It ever occur to you that that's what Hydra wants?"

Xavier sighed. "I know, you're right. So you think that Hydra is setting us up?"

"That'd be my guess, yea. How hard could it be to find a guy about Logan's size an' give him a set o' claws?"

Charles had to admit that now the prospect of Logan turning against them seemed completely ridiculous, but somewhere in his subconscious his mind refused fully let the notion go.

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So, how am I doing so far? Flames are the only reviews not allowed, they will be used to light Wolvy's cigars. Reviews in general tend to up posting rate though!!! ;)


	3. Confirmation

Ok, short and late, I know, I know, you all want to kill me. Or my one reader anyway. *sigh* Sorry! I happened to come down with something and have felt completly drained, so I'm sorrry!!!! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and hopefully I'll have more LONGER ones up soon!

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Logan stumbled into the mansion early the next morning, his shift having ended as one of the night watchers and given way to Angel as one of the day watchers.

Using one of the back entrances to the underground lair, Logan leaned against the door for brief support, his body shaking with exhaustion. What the heck was wrong with him? He'd pulled double, triple, and who knew how many other multiple shifts before with little more to deal with than a very short temper and a very long sleep afterward. So what was causing the exceptions lately? And that black out. Logan shivered involuntarily. If he couldn't trust his own body and senses, then he may as well figure a way to commit suicide right then and there.

His thoughts were cut short as the last mechanized door opened to reveal Angel, looking very awake, and upon seeing the exhausted Wolverine, very worried.

"Logan?" He said in shock, catching the much heavier mutant and supporting his weight.

Logan tried not to lean on him and pushed himself away, only to be attacked by a severe dizzy spell. He had no choice but to let his teammate catch him before his adamantium skull made a permanent dent in the floor.

"Logan, you'd better sit down, **now**." Warren commanded firmly, guiding his friend over to one of the wall benches in what worked as the men's locker room.

Kneeling down to his level, Warren studied Logan's disoriented face with concern growing steadily. Wolverine was acting, for lack of a better term, drugged.

"Sir? It may be necessary to call for assistance."

Warren jumped as the mansion's version of Jarvis, or Michael, as one of the girls had named him, resounded through the metallic room.

"I am sensing Mr. Attitude's pulse to be well above the healthy standard sir." Angel sighed, briefly peeved at Tony's sense of humor. Even in a serious situation like this, the ever polite AI had been programmed to call Logan by all sorts of names, excluding, of course, the two he actually answered to.

Logan gave a weak flick of the wrist, flipping the room off in general with his middle claw before snapping it back in. "Screw you Stark." He retorted, panting.

Turning back to Logan at the sound of his over labored breathing, Warren took Logan's wrist in his hand, confirming Michael's warning. Logan's pulse was racing faster than Warren could count it.

"Logan, we're getting you to the med lab, stat." Warren said, not leaving room for argument. Simultaneously he sent out an entirely unnecessary message to Jean, who had sensed Logan's distress the moment he'd entered the base.

"You been hangin' around with Jeannie kid?" Logan asked accusingly, noticing the med language that Warren had used.

Before Angel could answer, Jean came running in, looking highly concerned and holding a needle of something Warren couldn't make out.

"Angel, get to your rounds. I have him." Jean said hastily, almost shoving her fellow X-man out of the way.

Logan tried to sit up on his own power and give Jean one of his patent 'are you kidding me' glares, but he only succeeded in a wince as a lancing pain shot through his chest.

Ripping Logan's uniform open, Jean quickly exposed Logan's arm and jammed the needle into a vein, praying that the injection wouldn't be fought by his healing factor.

Logan drew a sharp hiss through his clenched teeth before loosing consciousness as another shot of pain wracked his body without warning, this time unidentifiable in the source.

Jean watched anxiously as Logan tensed, sucking a pained breath through his teeth before going completely limp. Panicking, her hand flew to his throat, relieved to find his pulse strong and slowing.

"**Professor, are you alright?" **

"**Yes, Jean- I think I'm alright now. How is Logan faring?" **

"**Unconscious. Professor, I-"** She faltered, not wanting to jump to conclusions like everyone else was wont to do.

She heard a tired sigh resound in her head. **"I know Jean. There's no denying it now. Something is very wrong with Logan. Jubilee contacted me earlier to tell me that he'd been uncharacteristically sharp with her, and for her to report something against Logan means that even she believes he needs help. Perhaps we should get him to the med lab and do some tests. I fear that his return from death may not have come with out a price." **

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Spooky! MIND GAMES!!! XD so is there sumptin up with Wolvy, or not? What do you think? (telling me will let you find out faster) ;)


	4. Back Up

Xavier rubbed a tired hand over his eyes, trying to dispel the lingering headache. He didn't want to tell Jean just yet, but whether she noticed it or not Logan's body wasn't the only thing acting strangely. His thoughts had been violent, erratic, and highly uncharacteristic lately, disturbing nightmares visiting him every night. Not his usual Weapon X nightmares either. Whatever was up with Logan, something was stirring deep below his surface, and the glimpses Charles had of it made his stomach turn. He needed to get Logan alone as soon as possible. All his long distance monitoring didn't seem to be sufficient anymore. The haunting image of Remy's slashed stomach flashed through Xavier's mind again, forcing him to face the facts.

It was time to call in back up.

"Tony. Come on sleepy, you've got a meeting to get to and then we have all day." Pepper laughed, sitting up in their bed and leaning over Tony's mussed head, jostling his hair.

"Thought you were gonna **stop** being my assistant after we got hitched." Tony mumbled spitefully, annoyed that he still had to go to work.

Pepper shrugged. "Old habits die hard. Now come on." She said, patting him on the back and getting out of bed herself.

Tony groaned, pulling the sheets back over his head.

"Ok." Pepper conceded, holding her hands up. "Coffee first. I get it." She smiled and left the room, intent on getting his coffee and dumping it on his head if he still refused to get up.

Tony smiled a rather impish grin to himself as he heard Pepper leave the room, and sat up of his own accord, stretching and once again regretting that he still had to work once in a while. It took time away from the _fun_ stuff.

His spoiled thoughts were interrupted suddenly when Jarvis warned him of a priority one transmission.

"Link it through to phone Jarvis, and secure all wires."

"Will do sir."

Tony leaned over and picked up the phone on his night stand as Jarvis directed the call.

"This is Stark."

"Good morning Mr. Stark." Charles Xavier's friendly, but worried voice came through. "I apologize for calling so early but-"

"Don't worry about it. I was just getting up. What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid we need your help. Mansion security has been compromised, and I'm not sure we can trust everyone on the grounds any longer. Chiefly Logan I'm afraid. We've had several attacks by Hydra already this month, and just last night someone wounded Remy in a pattern that fit Logan's claws perfectly. I'm aware that his claws could have been mimicked, but Logan came in this morning with highly strange behavior, and I can no longer give him the benefit of the doubt."

Tony could sense how much this was paining the X-men's leader just by his tone. Accusing Logan of attacking a teammate would be like accusing a family member of murder.

"I wondered if you could spare a few days to help cover security and work on the system yourself. As I recall you assisted Forge in upgrading the system last time you were here."

Tony nodded as he answered. "Yea, I did. I'll be there by tonight. I can stay as long as you need me to."

Tony could hear the relief in Charles' voice. "Thank you Tony. We'll have a room ready for you."

"What's going on?"

Tony looked up to see Pepper standing in the doorway with two cups of coffee.

"We're going back to Westchester."


	5. Violent Arrival

Ok, so chapters are getting longer........improvement showing....... Anyway, special Gambit section added just for you, my one and only faithful reader!

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Tony and Pepper made Westchester in good time with Tony's private accommodations, and they quickly found themselves in the familiar situation of Xavier rolling out to greet them and a helpful mutant there to take their luggage. This time however, the mood was much heavier.

"Mr. Stark, Virginia." Xavier said, nodding to each. He looked exhausted.

"Hello professor." Pepper said politely, her tone considerably lighter than Charles'.

"Thank you for coming so quickly. I'll let Remy settle you in before burdening you with details, but I'm certain you understand our urgency."

Tony nodded. "Of course."

"If I may cherre'." Gambit said, smiling and taking Pepper's bags from her. She saw him wince slightly as he straightened up, but he made no complaint.

Following Remy's lead, the couple were led back through familiar halls and to the dorms. They were given the room they'd spent their wedding night in.

Leaving Pepper to unpack, Tony headed for Xavier's office. Remy stayed behind in case Pepper needed anything.

It didn't take long for the gravity of the situation to be fully explained.

"So in a nutshell," Tony began, leaning against the bookshelf nearest Charles' desk, "Logan's brain's been tampered with, security isn't working, and all the adults are either busy in the labs or on patrol?"

Xavier nodded wearily. "Any who aren't working are sleeping, and two of our best are temporarily handicapped. Gambit can't fight with torn muscle, and if Logan really did this to him then there is no way we can trust him to hold the line. You can see why I called you."

Tony nodded. "Oh I see alright. I'm going to head down to the labs to work on the security problem with Forge. I suggest getting some sleep Professor. It looks like you're the only one not taking a break, and if Logan's brain is being screwed with we're going to need you sharp."

DWDWDWDWDW

"So, full time X-man now, huh?" Pepper asked, folding one of Tony's shirts before placing it in an empty drawer. She expected to be there quite a while.

"Dat's right. Got a nice leather costume and everything." Gambit said, smiling. He was sitting on the bed, leaning casually against one of the bedposts to relieve the burn in his abdomen.

"Interesting picturing you in leather. I always thought you'd be the type to go around in a trench coat and purple shirt." She said absent-mindedly.

Gambit chuckled. "You know me better than I thought! Part of my costume is a leather trench coat and there's purple trim on da edges."

Pepper laughed. "Mom always did want me to go into fashion design, but I never wanted to be anywhere near the spotlight. Look where that ended up."

Gambit laughed with her, but stopped when his stomach protested. He couldn't help a sharp intake of breath as one of the stitches pulled.

"Are you alright?" Pepper asked, concern lacing her tone. "I thought you looked pained when you took my bags earlier."

Gambit tried to give her a carefree smile, but it was half-hearted. "Just a few scratches, notin' to worry about."

Pepper leveled a stare at him that reminded him of how his mother used to look at him when she knew he wasn't telling the truth.

"Has Jean looked at it yet?"

Gambit nodded. "Yea, no big deal. Don' worry 'bout me. You got enough on your plate with bein' married to Tony." He said with a grin.

It worked, Pepper smiled and dropped the subject. Remy let out a quiet sigh of relief. He didn't like all the worried attention he was getting. Deep down he was a loner, and the concern made him uncomfortable.

DWDWDWDWDWDW

"Good day Mrs. Summers, how is our patient faring?" Hank greeted, walking into the med lab.

"Not well I'm afraid." Jean said through grit teeth, locked in a staring contest with Logan.

"Hmm." Hank hummed, taking a moment to study the showdown. "It appears that our resident feral hasn't gotten enough sleep. Perhaps you should allow him to retire to his den for the day."

"Watch who you're callin' feral bub, I ain't the one with fur sprouting all over." Logan snapped, pointing a finger in Hank's face. "As for the sleep, Jeanie, I told ya, nothing wrong with me. Now let me leave. I think you've done enough by stabbing me with that freaking needle already."

Jean crossed her arms, her own sleep deprivation making her testy and completely unwilling to let Logan get away with his demands. "Oh yes. Aren't we cranky. And I suppose your blacking out, unexplained weakness, and what was that? Oh yea,** attacking a teammate** shows that you're completely fine."

Hank could see Logan tense dangerously before he could react.

Growling low, Logan slapped Jean across the cheek with the back of his hand, effectively knocking her to the floor.

Hank was rooted to the spot as the enraged feral stood, glanced down at Jean, and stormed unencumbered out of the room, every muscle standing out in his tense body.

Snapping to his senses, Hank rushed to Jean's side, helping her to her feet and gently inspecting her quickly bruising cheek. She looked stunned.

"He- he just…" She stammered, staring after the door Logan had just left through.

"I know. Maybe you should take the rest of the day off, Jean. I can handle the med lab." he said quietly, eyes fixed gently on her face.

Nodding shakily, Jean turned and left the lab in a daze.

Hank turned and began mechanically cleaning the area Logan had been inhabiting for the next patient, but he couldn't get the haunting image of Logan's expression out of his mind.

Pure hatred.

When he'd hit Jean there'd been nothing but cold-blooded hatred in his eyes.

Whoever had just left the med lab, it wasn't Logan. Or Wolverine. It was something else.

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Ooo, scary! What's up with Logan? Want to find out? Press the review button!!


	6. Enemy Unveiled

Hey guys!! I'm back, and got more for you =) I was stuck with out internet for a week, so I got a lot written but couldn't post. So, since you were patient, here is the next chapter, and it's twice as long as the others. Next upload will be quick too!! Enjoy!

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Forge was hard at work in his favorite lab when Tony came in, a knowing smile on his face. "Knew I'd find you here, tech-boy." He teased, slapping Forge on the shoulder.

The other man turned, grinning ear to ear. "Tony! Glad to have you back. Though under these circumstances…………"

Tony nodded. "I know what you mean."

"Anyway, I was just trying to work with a new security idea I had; some kind of detector for the undead. You know, find something about them it can track, similar to how infrared tracks heat."

Tony nodded. "Sounds logical. But what do you track in something that's a shadow in essence?"

Forge sighed, looking slightly defeated. "That's the speed bump."

"Ah. Well. Let's see what we can do huh?" Tony said, clapping his hands together and loving the sight of all the technology spread out in front of him.

DWDWDWDWDW

Logan sat silently on his bed, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants. His room was dark, and his hair was still wet and hanging in his face from his shower.

What was going on?

He put his head in his hands, clenching his jaw tightly. He'd hit her. He'd hit Jean.

He'd never hit a woman before in his life unless they were seriously trying to kill him, and even then he had a bad feeling about it.

He hated his mind being read, but he reluctantly decided to go to Xavier. Something was already in there, mucking around. And he didn't like it.

Before he could do anything, there was a soft knock on his door, and the scent of Xavier's clean clothes and metallic tang of his wheelchair met Logan from under the door.

"Come in." he said gruffly, not moving.

Xavier rolled in, not bothering to turn the lights on. "Hello Logan."

Logan cringed but didn't move. Charles' voice had been uncharacteristically cold.

"I understand you've been having trouble with your thoughts."

It wasn't a question. Logan nodded. "If ya want to simplify it that much, yea." His quiet voice held more bite than he'd intended. He felt a flair of anger brush through his chest at the professor's accusing tone.

Charles moved closer to the bed so that he could reach out and touch Logan's head.

Logan didn't make a move to stop him.

Charles settled in and exhaled, placing a hand on either side of Logan's skull, his unconscious touching Logan's.

What he saw was not Logan.

He was standing on a dark plane, nothing visible in any direction save for the thing in front of him.

It stood several feet taller than Xavier, and it seemed to take no notice of him, it's gorged body sitting like a huge scaly blob that filled the professor's vision.

It was licking blood delicately off of each of it's clawed fingers, a long, snakelike tongue darting out from between razor teeth.

Slowly, it looked down, glowing, pupilless yellow eyes swirling in the sockets like liquid gold.

An ugly grin spread across its face, exposing it's full mouth of teeth,

"So, you've finally figured it out." It's voice made him shudder. It spoke with Logan's own gravelly tone.

Grinning, it leaned towards him, dropping to all fours, its body morphing as it moved, becoming smaller to where Xavier could see it had a human frame. Then the black scales loosened and began to fall off, the creature torquing its body and clawing away at it's own skin, shrieking with a voice that sounded like it was being amplified and played from a thousand speakers, each voice just slightly out of sync with the others.

He stood and watched, body paralyzed completely by the sight.

The creature continued to twist and writhe on the ground, finally loosing the struggle and ending in the form of a bloodied and naked man, laying face down, completely still.

Charles moved closer cautiously, unsure of what had happened, when the man whipped his head up, suddenly pulling himself to all fours, his blood soaked hair hanging familiarly in his dark eyes, naturally K-9 teeth bared.

"Logan!" Charles gasped, watching the tense, blood slicked creature in front of him.

The feral man was tense to the point of breaking, every muscle and tendon visible beneath wet skin. His eyes darted around like a cornered animal.

Charles was just about to reach out to him when he reared up, hands on either side of his head as he threw it back in an inhuman howl, pure rage and bloodlust coursing thorough the sound. As he howled, the voice slowly changed to a human cry, one of anguish and pain.

Then Logan dropped back to all fours, shaking violently, chest heaving. He shook his head, growling to himself as his body rippled unnaturally, skin splitting down his back. Once again he clawed himself free, only this time the voice that delivered the screams weren't alien. Finally a fully dressed Logan was laying before him, unmoving like before.

Charles had never seen anything like this before. It was as if several souls were trying to war for dominance in one body. It was little wonder that Logan was tormented.

The newest form slowly got to its feet, nonchalantly brushing a piece of skin off its shoulder and standing straight, looking up at Xavier presently.

"Should've paid a visit sooner Chuck."

"Logan, is that you?"

The creature that looked like Logan grinned nastily "You've been in here often enough. What do you think?"

Charles stood his ground, studying the thing before him. "No. You aren't Logan, are you? You're the creature that's been tormenting him all this time. What are you?"

The apparition shrugged. "I'm Logan. I'm the thing buried deep that he fights to suppress."

"You're Wolverine." Charles realized, suddenly remembering the animal side that Logan always fought.

The thing smirked. "Close, but no cigar. I'm not Wolverine. You just saw him." He said, jerking his head towards the bloody skin still laying on the ground from the last transformation. "I'm Logan's….bad side if you will. His devil angel if you want to get that clichéd."

"Where is Logan?" Charles asked threateningly, watching the thing closely.

"Oh, he's around here somewhere, he's just, should we say, lost." The devil shrugged, crossing his arms and leaning back on an invisible chair. "I don't know…." he said casually, snicting out the claws on one hand and examining them passively. "I'm sure he'll claw his way to the surface eventually." The thing laughed at its own joke and then sat up suddenly, snapping the claws back in.

"You want to come and get him don't you?"

"I want to help you, yes. I should've known something was wrong, but I didn't want to admit it. I'm sorry I waited so long Logan, you may be the one paying the price." Charles held the demon's mocking gaze, trying to reach the real Logan he knew was there.

Nothing changed.

"You can try all you want. He's loosing the battle in here." He shrugged, seeming unconcerned.

"No. I know you better than to loose this easily Logan. You need to fight this, I'm here to help you."

The form of Logan laughed. "Oh, he hasn't gone down easily. He's been fighting me for months. You remember that little brush with death? That hasn't helped his morale a whole lot." He grinned, then added, "Oh, and that pathetic snarling mess you just saw? Yea, that was his last defense. He doesn't let the animal out lightly, Professor, and now even the animal has been put down." He smirked, face defiantly close to Xavier's. "Until it's needed of course."

"What have you done to him?" Charles asked, angry. He didn't move as the haughty figure began circling him, flexing its fists dangerously.

"We kicked him out. There's only room enough for one soul to live comfortably in the driver's seat Professor, you should know that. And I was bigger." Suddenly Logan's eyes turned to the bright gold that the demon's had been, and a malicious grin once again twisted his face.

"You're a fool to think Hydra would just cut and run. We needed a host and Logan here was the perfect candidate. Strong, equipped, and virtually un-killable."

The demon raised its hands in mock surrender, still circling Xavier as it continued. "Yes, I admit the healing factor was an annoying obstacle, but the carbonadium quickly fixed that little problem, and what do you know? I even get a bonus spell where I'm the only living thing in this sack of meat. Perfect incubation period- his healing power didn't even know what hit it." The demon looked even more pleased than before, and the expression only served to make it look even more sinister.

"What do you want with Logan?" Xavier demanded, fearing he already knew the answer.

The demon shook its head. "For being called 'professor' so often, you're not very smart, are you? I needed a host. And once you crack your way into a shell like this one, it's like being housed in the pentagon! No one, is getting you out without destroying the vassal."

Charles' eyes widened as terrible realization finally sunk in.

The demon watched his expression with a terrible, mocking stare plastered across its face, the grin worse because it was Logan's form the demon was wearing.

Internally, and externally.

"Oh you heard me right. You're going to have to destroy him to get me out. And if you don't, and the body is still able to heal, then there is no coming back for him. His soul quits, I continue like now, only stronger because I don't have to fight him _and_ you." The smirk deepened. "And in case you were wondering, I mean kill kill, not one of those stunts where he goes brain dead for a few hours and wakes up ready to do the fox trot. I mean dead and gone. The next time his heart quits on him, so does his soul. And then I'm the only one in here."

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"OW!" Tony sucked on his thumb, glaring at the offending piece of equipment in front of him. It was the fourth time in the last hour that he had shocked himself on the circuit board he'd been working on.

It was really beginning to tick him off.

"Hmm, not the most coordinated are we?"

Tony looked up to see Gambit leaning in the doorway, looking very smug.

Tony stuck his tongue out in response.

Gambit laughed. "Very mature. What you workin' on?"

Tony sat back and sighed, staring at the disappointing project in front of him. "I'm trying to make a circuit board that will go into the new security system. I'm using a different kind of metal than I'm used to, one that should help to detect these 'undead' guys that are giving you all the trouble, but this metal is highly conductive, and avoiding shocks is almost impossible." He glared at the board, sucking his thumb absently. Several burns were visible on his hands.

"Well," Gambit said, moving from his spot in the doorway to a chair near Tony. "Why don't you have Forge do it? He shouldn't get shocked as easily."

"Because," Tony replied, leaning forward and attempting to tackle the board again. "When he tried the metal fused to his fingers, even through leather gloves."

Gambit nodded. "Dat would make a problem."

"Understatement." Tony muttered.

Gambit laughed. "I came down here to tell you that Mrs. Stark went wit' Rogue to get some food. We been holed up here so long we're actually runnin' outta supplies. She said she wanted to help, just didn't want to leave wit out lettin' you know."

Tony nodded absently, intent on his work.

Gambit waited a moment, then moved to get up. "Well, looks like I'm just in da way here, so I'll just go…."

"YES!"

Remy jumped. "What?"

"Ha! Got it!" Tony said triumphantly. "Come on." He said, motioning to Remy. "Help me install this, Forge is busy on the other side of the mansion and I need an extra pair of hands."

Before Gambit could answer, Tony was out of the room and headed for the lowest level of the school and the heart of the security system, a well armored underground room that only a few could access.

Sighing and shaking his head, he followed.

A short elevator ride later and they were in the circular chamber, faces lit by multiple control lights and the soft blue of the safety lights along the floor.

Gambit followed Tony curiously, head whipping in all directions as he explored. He'd never been in that part of the mansion before, and some of the security devices were- bizarre looking.

"Colorful isn't it?" Tony said, smirking.

Gambit turned his attention on the other man, ignoring the comment. "What need's doin?"

"Well," Tony said, doing something to a slot in the control core. "I don't need you just yet, but stand by. When I tell you to, I need you to hold these" He held up a pair of wires, "together, and I'll do the rest. I just need you here in case the security system backfires."

Remy raised an eyebrow. "Why would it backfire?"

Tony's response was somewhat muffled and difficult to understand as he held onto some wires with his teeth. "Because I'm a foreign power source." He tapped the arc with his soldering iron. "And if I'm not careful the entire core could go into lockdown and shock me, sending me into cardiac arrest." He sounded completely unconcerned.

"I take it dat's not an uncommon risk for you."

Tony didn't answer.

Turning around, Gambit began to wander among the colorful panels again, but this time something caught his eye. Squinting, he leaned closer, running his fingers along three slashes that were in the center of a dead power grid.

"Ok, grab these" Tony said, not looking up and holding the cords out. Gambit snapped out of his exploration and took the wires, doing as he was told. There was a satisfying hum as the machine booted up, an odd purple and green light emanating from a bulb near the new circuit board.

"And we are online." Tony said, sounding satisfied.

"Hey, is that supposed to look like that?" Remy said, absently running his fingers across the three gashes in his stomach.

Tony turned around and leaned in, inspecting the cuts. "No. That's the main transmitter to Jarvis. If something goes wrong down here he can tell you guys as long as that thing's functional. I even had it behind bullet proof glass." Tony's eyes widened. "Check for another dead panel."

Gambit turned and began inspecting the rest of the core, quickly finding a dark set of lights, three stab marks right in the center. "Over here."

Tony came over and quickly looked at the equipment. He shook his head. "No wonder you guys are having so much trouble. This is the power cell for the primary motion sensors and detectors for Hydra, the primitive ones we installed last time I was here." He looked up, face grim. "You've been sabotaged."

Gambit looked down, putting his fingers in the holes. Only an inch apart.

* * *

Sucks when Logan's against you, doesn't it?


	7. Death and Rising

Here is the next ch!! Remember, reviews greatly aid in uploads!!

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"I can't remember the last time I went shopping for someone other than Tony." Pepper said, perusing the isles, somewhat glad to be free of the atmosphere inside the mansion. It was rather oppressive to live under that beautiful roof, knowing that a 24/7 guard was necessary.

Rogue heaved a bag of dog food into the cart and smiled. "Yea, I'm sure it's been a while. Tell ya the truth though, it's also been a while since I got outta the mansion period. I'm either busy studyin' with Mr. Summers, studyin' with Bobby, or tranin' with Logan. I hardly have any time at all to go and relax, let alone escape to the mall or the like with Jubilee or Kitty." She frowned. "Though I don't think many of us have a lot of leisure time. Even Logan is always busy wit' somthin."

Pepper sighed. "I know the feeling. This time with you guys is a vacation for us, Tony is always busy with the company or as Iron Man, and then there's the press……" She shook her head. "You guys are lucky you don't have to at least deal with them."

Rogue smiled. "Yea, all we got are undead ninjas."

Pepper smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I guess you guys do have it worse."

Rogue was taking a large glass jar off the shelf when suddenly she screamed, dropping the container and grabbing her head in a panic, her eyes screwed shut in pain.

"Rogue!" Pepper rushed forward to steady her, ignoring the broken glass.

The younger woman took a moment to answer, obviously still in pain. "The- Professor-" She panted, hand still held to her forehead in an attempt to banish the throbbing headache. She looked up, tears standing at the corners of her eyes. "Something happened to the Professor!"

"Calm down Rogue." Pepper soothed, guiding her over to a nearby bench, ignoring the stares they were attracting. "What did you see?"

Rogue took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself. "I didn't _see_ much of anything, except these two golden orbs…..but ah heard two words. _Strange_ and _Demon_." She looked up. "Then his presence just, disappeared. It was like he was _pulled_ out. He never does that. If he doesn't have anything else to tell us he just sorta- fades." She fell silent, her head still throbbing.

Pepper straightened up. "I'll call Tony and see what's going on, do you need any Tylenol or anything?"

Rogue shook her head wordlessly.

Dialing Tony's phone, she waited anxiously for him to pick up. It rang. And rang. And rang. On the fourth ring he finally answered, but his voice sounded strained.

"Pepper?" He asked weakly.

"Tony! Are you alright? What happened?"

"I-" Pepper heard a sharp intake of breath. "I'm not sure. I got this massive headache and passed out….I just woke up." It was clear he was still in pain.

"Rogue just got a mental message from the professor, and she thinks he's in trouble, is everyone else there alright?" She waited breathlessly for him to answer.

"I don't know. I was down in the core with Gambit when the signal struck and he's still out cold. He's alive, but completely unconscious. Let me get upstairs with him and I'll call you back."

"Ok, be careful Tony." She clicked the phone off, regretting that she hadn't said she loved him. What if that was the last time she saw him?

DWDWDWDWDWDW

Tony walked dazedly over to where Gambit lay, heaving him on his shoulders and then trudging to the elevator, his head pounding soundly. The to words the professor had sent out a moment before his collapse were still echoing in his aching skull. _Strange _and _Demon._

What was that supposed to mean?

Reaching the upper level, Tony stepped out, laying Gambit down on the floor so he would be free to look around. The hall was deserted.

A nasty sense of dread clenched Tony's heart and he sped into med room, finding Hank passed out on the floor.

That was nothing compared to what he found when he reached ground level. Every student, teacher, and X-man were laid out, as if they'd dropped where they stood. A few of the newer students were starting to come to, but the majority showed no signs of waking.

Tony slowly clicked his phone on, swallowing hard. Whatever had happened to the Professor, it was bad. He hit Pepper's speed dial and headed upstairs to look for him.

She answered almost immediately. "Tony! Are you ok?"

Tony winced as her voice resounded in his tender ear. "Yea, I think I'll be ok, but the entire school's been knocked out. Whatever happened to the Professor Pepper, it isn't good."

"Rogue and I'll be home in just a few minutes, is anyone coming around?" Pepper sounded like she was trying to keep raw panic out of her voice. Tony couldn't blame her.

"A few of the new students, yea, but other than that…….I saw Scott slumped over on his desk, he showed absolutely no signs of waking up anytime soon. I'm guessing that the people who have been around Xavier the longest got hit the hardest. That's why it got Rogue but not you. I was just close enough to get hit over here…." He finished, coming up on the first of the adult dorms. Cracking the door open, he peered inside to see Wolverine sitting on the bed, Charles laying in a heap on the floor in front of him.

Tony's phone fell from his hand.

He could see Logan smirk. "He's not dead. Yet." the claws on his left hand suddenly appeared with a metallic rasp, gleaming dangerously in the strange light.

Tony made a move to step forward, but couldn't move fast enough.

With a sudden movement, Logan jammed the claws full into his own chest, clearly impaling his heart. Choking and coughing blood, he removed the claws shakily, retracting all but one. To Tony's horror, he then stabbed himself in the temple and fell sideways on the bed, eyes still open, but the light completely gone from them.

He suddenly found himself gasping for air.

Logan's blood soaked the bed, turning the light sheets a deep crimson. The metallic smell filled Tony's nostrils and threatened to make him sick.

Suddenly hearing Pepper's frantic voice from his cell phone, Tony picked it up, eyes still riveted to the gory horror before him. Blood was seeping from the punctures in Logan's chest.

"Pepper-" his voice was husky.

"Tony! What happened! Are you alright?"

He could barely think. "I'll talk to you when you get home…" He couldn't bring himself to say any more over the phone.

It clicked off and barely made it back into Tony's pocket. Moving forward, he tried to ignore Logan's strangely clear, empty eyes. His claw had retracted back into his arm the moment he'd hit the bed.

Kneeling with his back to Logan's body, Tony inspected Xavier, finding him to be alive, but also completely unconscious. He sat in front of the fallen leader for several minutes, trying to force himself to think. How do you plan in the middle of pure chaos? He was about to get back to his feet when there was movement behind him. He whipped his head around, looking at what was now a very alive Logan, just pushing himself to a sitting position.

He straightened up slowly, shrugging his shoulders and flexing his hands and forearms as if he'd just slipped into a jacket and was testing to see how well it fit him. He looked up, but his eyes were not Logan's dark ones.

They were bright gold.

"Hello Tony. You got away clean last time, didn't you?"

* * *

He he, it's so much fun to wright evil Logan...............XD


	8. Astral Plain

Next chapter!! And cuz I love you guys, I'm gonna make it a dual upload, enjoy!!!

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Tony shifted his weight backward cautiously, protectively hovering over Charles. "Who are you?"

Logan laughed. "Knew you wouldn't be fooled by this costume. Nice though, isn't it?" He stretched his arms out in front, inspecting the tendons and muscles as the corded and flexed. He loosed the claws on his left hand and fingered them thoughtfully, turning them this way and that in the light. "Yes, very nice." He said, smiling smugly and admiring the weaponry.

"What did you do with Logan?" Tony demanded, unsure of what to do. It was unlikely help would be arriving anytime soon. And he couldn't try to escape and just leave the Professor.

'Logan' shrugged. "I sent him packing. I liked his body, so I took it." He looked at Tony matter-of-factly, claws still out on his left, his right hand fingering them absently as they rested in his lap. "Tell you what though, much nicer to have this body than the last one. The last one- let me tell you-" he sat back against the wall, propping one foot up to rest on his knee, still playing with the claws. "was like trying to deal with driving in an old beater. Ugly, old, lungs didn't work real well, and certainly no built in armor or weapons. That's a plus." He grinned and leaned forward again, snapping the claws back in.

"And even in that old thing you guys couldn't catch me."

"Hydra." Tony said, sudden realization sinking in.

The Demon smirked. "I know you're used to calling this Logan, but you can call me Malcraht. In case you're wondering, yes, I'm an undead demon bla bla blah…" He snapped his hand open and closed in a bored gesture, illustrating his point.

"You're the leader of Hydra, aren't you? That whole attack we staged on your base, it was a set up, wasn't it?"

Malcraht smirked. "Nope. That's the beauty of it. We wanted you because, let's face it, our security was going down hill compared to everyone else's, and I hate being behind. But then you bring all these wonderful little candidates for me to pick a host, and I figure don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Once I had Logan, I had everything else. I don't need a new base. We can set up shop right here. State of the art equipment, excellent soldiers all ready to be recruited, you're already here, and this place is nice and connected with every other 'superhero' defense team around the world. I couldn't have thought of a better plan on my own, I needed a bunch of super powered idiots to do it for me. So, on behalf of me and all the zombies that are going to slaughter you guys in about eight hours, I'd like to say, thanks."

Malcraht's mocking tone cut deep, his familiar face sneering into Tony's. His lips pulled back to expose Logan's sharp K-9 teeth, something Logan rarely did, unless he was very angry. It only served to further remind Tony that this wasn't Logan.

"What makes you think you'll be able to hold S.H.I.E.L.D and all the other forces off once they figure out the X-men have been taken over?"

"Oh, I have good reason. See, when somebody tries to screw with my base, I just slip into this other body here." He nodded to Xavier. "And We're all set. Not to mention all the built in security and all the great soldiers I'll have soon. I'm not worried about S.H.I.E.L.D"

Tony couldn't argue with the logic; to put it bluntly, it really did seem like they were screwed.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWD

Charles found himself laying on his side, a soft, wet substance underneath him slowly registering in his fogged brain. Where was he? What happened? Slowly, he opened his eyes, and was met with a drab grey landscape, the ground covered by a thick, low creeping fog. The area looked eerily familiar.

Standing, Charles realized that the soft substance was finely ground dirt. It didn't take a full lungful of air to realize that it was saturated with blood. Charles covered his mouth with a hand, feeling as though he was going to be sick. Suddenly, it dawned on him why the area looked familiar.

Trenches. Barbed Wire. Blood. Dirt. Death.

He was on a deserted battle field from World War I.

Now curious and amazed at the same time, Charles walked the empty area, his feet making no noise in the steamy earth. He didn't get far however when someone came up behind him and clapped a hand over his mouth, another hand securing his arms. Before he could even make a sound, he was pulled backwards into a deep trench, landing hard in a pit of sloshing mud, the person still behind him.

"Shhhhh……." Came a warning from his captor. The hand was slowly removed from his mouth, and a mud caked man crept out from behind him, dressed in full army gear, all except for any visible weapons. His clothing was torn, his helmet dented, and he smelled like death, but at least Charles wasn't alone.

Puzzled, but deciding it was best to obey the obvious veteran, Charles stayed silent, trying to decipher who this man was. His back was turned to him, and he stood poised in a half crouch, almost animalistic in nature, like he was listening. Without warning, the man whipped around to face him, wild, dark eyes meeting his own, face covered in sweat, blood, and army paint, and long, wolfish locks of hair hanging in his face. Three thick slivers of bone protruded from one of hands, and slightly sharpened teeth were just visible under his lips.

"Logan!?"

* * *

ONWARD!!!!


	9. Staying Alive

Part 2 of dual upload, maybe you guys will be so happy with me you will leave wonderful reviews??? ;D

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Pepper approached the school with an air of determination, and a definite sense of dread. Her mind had been painting horrific images of what she would find, much like it used to when she would cover her eyes for a bad part in a horror movie. This time though, she wondered if her imagination might be correct.

Pushing the door open, she wasn't surprised to see the students laying here and there across the floor, but it still frightened her to actually see all the bodies. It looked like a slaughter house.

_They're alive._ She told herself, but found that she had to keep repeating it to actually feel that it was true.

Rogue followed close behind her, her face grim and on alert. It was obvious that Rogue was much more accustomed to the strange occurrences than Pepper was.

Suddenly wondering where Tony was, Pepper sprinted up the stairs, looking for him. She was starving to know he was alright. She _needed_ to feel him in her arms.

"Tony!" She called, forgetting herself completely. Rogue clapped a hand over her mouth, almost hissing in her ear.

"We have to stay quiet, we don't know what we're up against."

Pepper wanted to tell her to shut up, but she knew she was right and she tried to swallow her fear. It was like swallowing a monster that clawed her all the way down.

Letting Rogue lead the way_, _Pepper crept up the remaining stairs, searching frantically for her husband.

They came to the top and found more of the same, students laid out this way and that, some almost comical.

Pepper ignored them all. She could hear Tony's voice through the door of one of the nearest dorms. Unable to stop herself, she rushed to the door, stopping just outside it as two voices filtered through.

"So what are you going to do now? You can't kill me if you want the security to be finished, and you aren't going to kill the professor." That was Tony's voice.

"Well, I think I'll just sit here and wait for my army to arrive. Maybe I'll go around and stick some of the students out there while I'm waiting, just for fun." That was……..Logan's voice!?

Pepper's breath caught.

Rogue was right behind her, and she could see the young X-man suddenly buckle emotionally. From what she knew, Logan was especially important to her.

Pepper put her hand on Rogue's shoulder, doing her best to give her a sympathetic look instead of a terrified one. She'd been though a lot with Tony, even had someone they thought they could trust turn against them, but recent events still shook her. Part of her hoped they always would.

"We- " Rogue whispered, stopping to brush her hair nervously behind her ear. "We gotta get in there, you grab Tony and I'll get Logan." Her voice fought to keep steady as she pulled her glove off.

Pepper nodded, bracing to open the door. A split second before the door flew open, there was complete silence in the room before a surprised "WHAT!?" from Logan.

It was like a streak of black and white when Rogue pounced on Logan, her hand outstretched to touch his face. Pepper rushed in on her tail and threw herself on Tony, dragging him back with her as best she could, adrenaline affording her the strength. He fought her, and between panicked breaths she was able to her his worried message.

"The professor!!" Whipping back, she was going to drag Xavier out as well, but she was stopped dead.

Rouge had made it to Logan, but six silver points were curving out of her back.

Pepper sat stunned, just as Logan fell sideways on the bed, eyes wide open in shock. They were a stunning yellow.

Rogue stumbled back, his claws sliding out of her body, and the wounds healing, but suddenly she collapsed, holding her head in a scream. Pepper rushed over to her, putting her hands on her shoulders, trying to steady her.

"Rogue!! Look at me, are you alright!?"

Rogue's body convulsed, head whipping up and down before jerking up, face twisted into shock, eyes open and flickering rapidly between deep brown and bright gold. Suddenly the tension completely left her body and she collapsed into Pepper's lap.

Shaking and wordless, Pepper pulled Rogue out of the room and back to where Tony had been kneeling.

Tony's warm hands gently touched her shoulders, making her jump before she turned and buried herself in his arms.

"Oh Tony……I thought I'd lost you.." She shook her head against his shoulder, tears wetting his shirt. "I was so scared.."

Tony held her tight, so glad to feel her in his arms again. "Shhh." He soothed, stroking her hair. "I'm alright"

Sighing, Pepper sat back, kissing his lips almost desperately. He returned the kiss, and then braced her with his hands.

"It's alright Pepper, we're both alright." He got up, helping her to stand as well. "Come on, we have to get the professor somewhere safe, who knows how long Logan will be out."

Before either one could get to their feet however, a white light flooded the room, knocking them both back. Squinting painfully, Tony tried to see through the flash, his vision only allowing him to make out a sharply silhouetted figure.

DWDWDWDWDWDW

"Logan!?"

"Look, I know you got a lot of questions professor, but I still need you to be quiet, after the next wave I'll explain." He hissed, eyes intently staring past Charles to something the professor couldn't see through the fog.

Without warning, Logan shoved Xavier down, leaping over him and into another man. They disappeared behind a bend in the trench, and all Charles could see was flashes of blood and claws. The tussle didn't last very long, and Logan came limping out, crawling on hands and knees, trying desperately to stand. After stumbling several times, he gave up and slumped in the trench, breathing hard and bleeding badly.

Charles moved over to him, kneeling next to him. "Logan, where are we?"

"The astral plain." he coughed, spitting a thick globule of blood on the ground.

Charles watched him try to breathe, his heart pained to see him that way. Even though Logan was older than he was, he'd come to regard him as one of his children. "The astral plain, you mean like in your mind?"

Logan shook his head, tearing his already tattered uniform with a claw and wrapping his injured leg tightly. "We're on death's plain. This is where I end up every time my body dies." He sucked in a breath, touching his lower ribs tenderly, leaning back and looking almost defeated when his hand came away bloody. "Back in World War one I was killed by a heavy dose of chlorine gas. But I didn't realize I was dead. The guy you just saw came for me, and I attacked him on sight, and beat him. I woke up in a pile of corpses, scared the kid cleaning up half to death. Later, I figured out that it wasn't a soldier I beat, it was death. Ever since I've had a chance to come back every time my body dies. If I can beat him, I go back. If I can't, I guess I go on." He shrugged. "Never happened before. This time though, I've beat him over and over and I'm still stuck here. Probably because that demon set up shop in my body." He looked too exhausted to be mad.

Charles glanced around afresh, once again amazed at the secrets Logan held. "Will you heal from that?"

"I don't know. I've only had to finish him off in the past and then I wake up. This time, the rules are different."

"Is there something I can do?"

Logan shook his head. "Help me stay alive. I got a feeling that if I can keep this up long enough, we'll both be able to get back."

Charles sighed, nodding. Normally he was the one that had the advantage in the astral plain, but this time it was death's territory, a foe he'd never confronted before. And he seemed no more powerful here than what his body afforded him.

Seeing a nasty splinter of wood laying nearby, he hefted it and tied a piece of twisted metal to his arm like a shield, sitting next to his fellow soldier to wait.


	10. Lebeau Moving

Hey guys, no, I didn't abandon you. And yes, I took the little Gambit hints, he's in this chapter quite alot. More to come!! Enjoy!

* * *

Remy sat up slowly, head still pounding steadily. Wincing, he buried his face in his hands, shielding his eyes from the bright lights. It felt like he'd spent the night drinking and then gotten his head run over afterwards. Repeatedly.

Groaning, he pushed himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall and suddenly **very **aware of the throbbing gashes in his stomach. What on earth happened?

He squinted, concentrating and trying to remember what happened. Only the professor's two words still resonated though his head. Strange Demon.

Suddenly realizing that he was probably not the only one effected, Remy clenched his jaw, walking resolutely towards the men's suiting up room where his staff and uniform hung behind glass.

Moving slowly to avoid aggravating his wounds, he stripped down and donned the surprisingly comfortable leather costume. The Intricate X pattern across his chest was highlighted with a deep purple, and similar patterns ran down his arms and legs, also emblazoned with the color. Shrugging into the heavy leather duster, he grabbed his silver fighting staff and ran from the room, pupils ringed in scarlet.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Tony blinked furiously, trying to see the figure in front of him, still somewhat unsuccessful. He was able to tell that the figure was a man, but he was dressed exotically and a cape obscured most of his body. Struggling to his feet, Tony absently helped Pepper up as well, still trying to clear his vision.

"So sorry, one of the drawbacks of inter dimensional teleportation, one tends to blind everyone at your arrival." The man came forward and offered a hand, helping Tony the rest of the way up. "Dr. Strange, sorcerer supreme, at your service. I would have come sooner but I was terribly caught up with a nasty empath demon in another dimension and just now got Charles' distress call." He turned around, looking at the still in shock Logan. "Tsk tsk, this is a mess." He clucked, suddenly outstretching a hand and binding Logan instantly with what looked like a glowing gold rope.

Tony watched him in disbelief. "Next thing I'm going to find out is that vampires are real."

"Oh, they're quite real. Though I don't think most species sparkle like that new movie seems to think." He looked amused. "They're actually quite nasty creatures."

Tony sighed. "Naturally. So Dr. Strange, that was what the Professor ment by Strange, not strange as in descriptor."

"That's me. I specialize in fighting the demonic and supernatural. I've been in contact with your Professor for many years. Your friend Logan here has been possessed by an old foe of mine. We are going to have to perform a very complicated exorcism. Good thing for Logan he's a healer, or we wouldn't have a prayer of getting him back afterward."

Tony swallowed. "What exactly are you going to do to him?"

"That." Strange said, suddenly levitating Logan off of the bed and walking out of the room with him. "Is for me to know and you to find out. You may want to get Xavier comfortable, I'd hate to call him back and have him find that he's still left in squalor on the floor."

"Wait." Tony demanded, grabbing Strange's forearm. "Where are Charles and Logan **exactly**?"

Strange sighed like he was explaining something to a small child for the hundredth time. "Their souls have been stripped out of their mortal bodies and sent to the astral plain where death will attempt to claim them until they can either fight their way out or get pulled back. But for that, we need to clear _both_ bodies of the demons that are inhabiting them."

Tony looked puzzled. "The Professor is possessed too?"

"Just by a small holder demon, nothing too serious." Strange waved the comment away with his hand. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get Logan somewhere I may combat the spirit once it is extracted. The danger room should do quite nicely."

Realizing that it was possible that Logan could wake up before the exorcism was complete, Tony turned to Pepper. "Pepper, it's me and him against Logan for now, can you get the Professor somewhere safe? I've got to suit up and stand by in case he needs help."

Pepper nodded, swallowing her fear so she could think clearly. "Ok, just-" She hesitated, kissing him quickly " Be careful."

He nodded. "I will."

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Gambit strode down the halls, quickly coming to the same conclusion Tony had, it was him alone. Everyone else was knocked out. Taking the elevator into the upper levels, he crept around cautiously, his thief's experience making him very good at it.

That's why he was keenly and immediately aware when Pepper came down a flight of stairs, trying to haul and unconscious Rogue after her.

Her hands slipped as she shuffled down the last few stairs, and she struggled to keep her balance, cursing her heals all the way.

"I can't believe I didn't take these off, and oof!" She exclaimed, trying to keep Rogue's head from hitting the railing.

Gambit, in spite of himself, couldn't help but laugh.

Pepper's head snapped up and she gasped. "Who! Oh, Remy."

He smiled, striding forward, leaning his staff against the wall. "Here, let me help you cherre."

Pepper's face showed enormous relief. "Thank you… we need to get her to the med bay, she touched Logan and passed out."

Gambit was in the middle of heaving Rogue over his shoulders when he looked up, surprised. "What on earth did she touch him for?" He asked, settling her over his shoulders and straightening up, wincing as his stitches burned.

Pepper sighed. "Long story, I'll tell you on the way down."

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So. Still any good, or has it tanked? Let me know!!!


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